reesek

thanks tsquare those are good - matt's in particular is a good call. what's the bar like at chez shea? (chez lounge?? - is it the area you walk through on the way into the main dining room?) what about places like union...? lark i think would be awkward - the bar area is tiny and always cramped. neighborhood places are fine - i typically prefer to share food - so i guess eating alone i'd prefer a place that had a dish too good to share.

some places treat the lone diner better than others. any tips on good spots? someplace you could take a book/magazine and it wouldn't be rude, but also someplace that is lively enough that if you didn't have anything to read, you wouldn't feel awkward. edited to add - and of course by "you" i meant...me.

hey there, i threw a couple of parties at waterfront...they have 2 private rooms both with private decks - the staff have ranged from very helpful to moderately helpful, the food was fine and the view is terrific...and the price was high. you might also check out the restaurant at the edgewater - i think they'd have a deck of some sort. by the way - congratulations on your graduation!

i always make bite sized potato pancakes for parties - applesauce is a very simple and traditional topping...i also usually make a creamy sauce with horseradish, extra firm tofu, s&p and rice vinegar. you might also think about a cheese fondue (chocolate would work too) served with bread (or pound cake) and apples. mmm, an appletini sounds good...

drool... do you have pictures of your kitchen for the less fortunate?

cheese fondue! very retro, vegetarian and damn sexy...

i used to work in the BoC...we had a 'deli' in the lobby we all tried assiduously to avoid! in addition to the recs above - i was a fan of specialty's on third...across from zum zum. obscene cookies.

Mags, This sounds exactly like my wife and several of her friends. As for men, Most of my middle aged male friends that are slim, are manic about avoiding carbs. Which diet would you recommend? I bought "The Low Carb Bible" for information about such diets but it's like a travel guide without an opinion. I think eating vegetarian on Atkins might be a challenge for my wife. I am an omnivore (capital omni) and I've have been impressed with the Fat Flush Diet because a friend has done so well on it and raves about how easy it is. But there are lots of expensive suppliments and rituals. I am thinking South Beach is more better. Any wisdom? What is your regimen? i've just finished reading this thread - so great. i'm ...mostly vegetarian and have been on atkins for about 2 weeks. my scale just arrived yesterday so i don't know how much weight i've lost so far, but i'm guessing about 7 pounds. i do eat fish - lots of it lately...and i'll confess i'm very tired of the fish and salad routine for dinner. induction is kind of hard on vegetarians - if i didn't eat eggs & cheese - i'd be totally unable to do it. that said - in the last 2 weeks i have eaten some sausage and half a strip steak. variety!! (i've been a veggie for about 4 years - initially to lose weight and enhance my creativity in the kitchen) i'm not planning to start eating meat - i didn't even love what we had - it felt chewy after years and years of fish and my stomach felt unpleasantly heavy afterwards. i'd be very interested in sharing menu ideas (especially creative fun ones - i miss lentils - what about using eggplant to 'stretch' the lentils - can i have some of the flavor and texture without eating 80 carbs?) i'd also be interested in hearing how successful people are (ronnie?) with the 5 days on 2 days off plan...i'm going to london and paris for 3 weeks on saturday...can i be in paris and not eat baguette? maybe - but i don't intend to find out. i've seen anecdotal reports here that atkins responds to a little playing...anyone have any tips? thanks

3 words - fluffy mackerel pudding

what about ray's boathouse? i've heard the upstairs is a little less formal - the view is still great and it's definitely cheaper. there aren't a lot of vegetarian entrees, but i bet they'd be creative for your boyfriend. ray's

or walk out to the makeshift beach area. we made a table out of a plank and sat on a log. (bring a blanket) we traveled with lemons, horseradish and tabasco. oysterville rules.

i'll never tell! i thought i'd had them at 7 stars...but i keep being told that it's impossible. what are they like?

reviving this thread since i just spent the weekend on orcas. * since it's not about food i won't comment specifically on the resort, rosario - but if any one is thinking of going there - feel free to PM me and i'll give you my impression. FOOD! *christina's bar - her brand of syrah is very nice - we ate in the bar and had the portobello sandwich and the tapas platter. everything was ok - but not bursting with flavor - except for the homemade catsup - that was amazing. i think it was molassas, tomato paste, allspice and cloves...not overly sweet - not very tomatoey, but very good with frites! dessert was apple fritters with buttermilk ice cream. bf loved those. they gave us dessert wine samples because we looked at the menu. excellent service. though nothing (except dessert) was that great - we'd definitely go back - the place left us with a good impression and it felt good in there. *sunflower cafe - great mimosas, the worst service i've ever had - we should have walked out - but it was valentine's day (lunch) and our waitress looked like she was about to burst into tears (for 2 hours). mediocre crab cakes & fish taco - excellent homemade (though too cool) soup. not recommended by us though the reputation is very good. *inn at ship bay - fixed price valentine's dinner - $45 for 4 courses, very affordable wine list. amuse of mild goat/cream cheese with sundried tomatoes & herbs. -1st course choice of judd cove oysters - on the half shell or broiled with pancetta or a lentil and mushroom soup. we had fresh oysters with citrus (definitely meyer lemon) mignionette - divine and the soup. the soup was just ok - a little muddy - like it needed a jolt of lemon and salt or a bitter green or bacon. i think it was the vegan choice. -second course - mixed greens with walnuts and bleu, smoked scallops with citrus or a warm parsnip & pear with laura chenel and mixed greens. we had the scallops (fresh, cold and wonderfully smoky - flavors played well with the citrus. also had the warm salad. by far the most decadent salad ever - tender sweet roasted parsnips - the pears we think were vanilla poached and the laura chenel oozing slightly. we thought it could have used a bit more green (with a bit more tartness) to offset the richness - but damn - that was wonderful. -main selections included hangar steak, pork something...i think loin chop, pumpkin ravioli, salmon and a potato & mushroom stack they called a lasagne. we had the salmon (with a meyer lemon polenta and lovely veg - bok choy, a baby carrot and a wedge of beet that looked like albacore) with mustard sauce we also had the lasagne which was potato layered with wild mushrooms and spinach and finished with oregon truffles. i found the oregon truffles to be as fragrant but not as flavorful as italian and french truffles - nice though. that dish for some reason tasted to me like pecan rolls - cinnamony...sweet but not unpleasant. the salmon was extraordinarily good - well prepared, exceptionally fresh and was served with some bitter mustard greens which played with the sweet salmon and the pungent sauce beautifully. -dessert was a choice of creme brulee, homemade sorbet or what we had - a chocolate pate with strawberry and kiwi salad and a pear tart with cinnamon ice cream and caramel. we love chocolate and it was excellent, but the pear tart was amazing. those were two of the best desserts we've ever had. and with a split of bollinger and a rare syrah from yakima - we were still under $200 before service...the wine list there was amazingly reasonable. the nicest thing was that the owner/hostess took the metal cap from the top of our champagne bottle and hot glued a magnet to it and gave it to us as a keepsake. i was touched. also our waiter saved our skin by advising us to get to the ferry 3 hours in advance... *orcas hotel (at the ferry dock) thanks to the waiter the night before, we arrived at the ferry dock at 11:30 - and just made the cutoff for the 2:45 ferry! fortunately the orcas hotel cafe was open and ready for us. we had a nice black bean burger served with waffle fries (very popular on orcas...) 2 slices of thick cheddar, lettuce and pickle slices. we also had a dungeness crab wrap that was just ridiculously good. creamy, tangy - it had avocado, black beans, cheese (which was odd), crab, lettuce and tomatoes. huge. that place rocked. then we fell into a coma.

add peanuts? do tell!

you guys had szechuan pepper corns? i thought they were illegal...? i had lunch again at 7 stars pepper yesterday. the owner was cooking and it showed - the food was the best yet. hot crab, szechuan prawns, hand shaved noodle, scallion pancake. unbelievable - definitely the best chinese i've had in seattle - maybe best ever

oh melkor and pim...this could be very bad for me...you can't have any idea how small my kitchen is...my kitchenaid has to live in a closet - i thought i was safe on the francis francis due to cost...thanks for the link - i think.

welcome olivina/carla!

what about mexican? enchiladas or soft tacos & salad

pim, how do you like the francis! francis!? i've had one on my amazon wishlist for 2 years!

the topic title is kind of a joke at my workplace - but what is your favorite soda and how do you like to drink it? me? coke from a can - an inch at a time from a short glass. i think coke tastes best first from a can, then bottle, then fountain (unless the fountain is REALLY good - not too syrupy or too foamy). if the fountain attains it's elusive heights it supercedes bottles and then i like it with lots of ice and a straw. i've given way too much attention to coke, haven't i? i also loved orange and lemon fanta when i was in spain. lemon with whisky - orange the next day

cheddar cheese and pickle sandwich on dark wheat. light mayo, lots of dijon mustard. onions, one stray roasted red pepper. pepperoncinis. sunchips. coffee.

i agree with toliver on the core. it tastes exactly the same - gets lovely and tender just as the florets. i've made the cauliflower a few times now and found that i prefer cooking at a lower temperature for longer...one caveat is that i have a convection oven and can't ever resist using it. that said - i like smallish pieces but denser ones (so i use the floret method) and cook at 350 or 375 for 25-30 minutes. i'll still get the very dark crumbs and the larger pieces still get well colored. i use a very dark sheet pan - i'm convinced that helps.

mediterranean...whatnot. composed plate - chunk of feta with garden oregano, roasted and marinated peppers (garlic, shallots, balsamic & rice vinegar, olive oil, serrano chilies & pepper) carmelized onion & roasted cauliflower cous cous, braised white beans, tuna with olive oil, lemon, salt and parsley. to drink a barossa shiraz. i'm in love with barossa.

that must have been what i was thinking. i have one word for places that do that - ikea.

Happy St. Patrick's Day?